PAS5: The People v OJ Simpson

This week I’d like to discuss my newest obsession – the television series chronicling the OJ Simpson trial, American Crime Story: The People V OJ Simpson. Although I’ve only seen the first episode so far, I find it to already be a riveting depiction of high profile criminal litigation and I cannot wait to see where this series goes in regards to the personal and courtroom aspects of this historic trial. I am very interested in and have read about the lead prosecutor on the case, Marcia Clark and have the utmost admiration for her commitment and drive to seek justice for Nicole Brown Simpson.

I feel that often times prosecutors get the short end of the stick in the media. They’re always seen as trying to put people in jail regardless of innocence or guilt. While I recognize that it is a problem in the American legal system, I still believe that there are amazing attorneys out there committed to justice and that many district attorney’s hearts are in the right place. The issue is; State’s Attorney’s or Attorney Generals are elected on platforms of crime reduction and if they don’t get a certain amount of convictions – then they aren’t reelected. This leads to them placing pressure on Appointed Assistant State or District attorneys to convict at all costs for fear of losing their jobs. In my opinion, a great way to avoid this would be to no longer use elections for any legal positions – because politics shouldn’t have that type of effect on the performance of the DA’s office. Further I believe that the current situation is actually impeding justice.

While I’m still trying to decide what type of law that I want to enter – this is a huge influencer. While I want to fight for justice like Marcia Clark – I understand that being a high profile prosecutor is an extremely strenuous position. I have also considered going into Medical/Health law, Family law, Employment law and even Corporate law. My mom, who is dead set on me being a district attorney, always tells me that I should be the one to try and change things – that I should take on corruption. Of course however, she’s my mom so she thinks that I’m capable of anything.

The biggest deterrent for me is the politics of working for the government – I don’t want to work in an environment where I feel that I constantly have to be proving myself. This is what has lead me towards the other areas of law. During the OJ Simpson trial, Marcia Clark was put in the spotlight and was criticized and attacked by the media mercilessly – I personally don’t think that I could handle that. This is another reason why I admire her pursuit of justice so much; She disregarded her own reputation and standing to try and win a case that she believed so strongly in.

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